Apple released a $US350 pair of noise-cancelling Beats headphones

Apple’s audio subsidiary, Beats, released a new pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones for $US350 on Monday.

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones now slot in as the highest-end headphones that Apple makes and the only model with active noise cancelling.

They’re an updated version of Beats’ now-discontinued over-ear Studio Wireless headphones. Although their external appearance is nearly unchanged, this new model has been updated with Apple’s W1 chip, the same chip that’s in Apple’s AirPods which enables easy pairing with an iPhone or iPad.

The new model also has improved noise cancelling, putting the headphones in direct competition with similar headphones from brands like Bose. They went on sale on Monday.

The Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones are wireless using Bluetooth and can manage 22 hours of battery life with noise cancellation turned on, according to Beats. They charge with a microUSB connector, not Apple’s Lightning connector.

Apple’s most recent iPhone doesn’t include a headphone jack, and the company suggested wireless headphones as one possible solution for users who want to listen to music or other audio.

This is what Apple’s current-generation wireless headphones lineup looks like now: